Container body forming mechanism



A.1. M. HOTHERSALL 2,160,866

CONTAINER BODY FORMING MECHANISM Jung 6, 1939.

'Original Filed June 20, 1935 ATTO R'NE 5 Patented Juaee, i939 CONTAINER BODY FOBHING John M. HotlieriialLv Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to American Can Gompany, New York, N; Y., a corporation of New Jersey Original application June 20, 1933, Serial No.

676,749, now Patent No..2,056,192, October 6, 1936. Divided andthis wpllcationeptember 24, 1935, Serial No. 41,949

6Clalms.

The present invention relates to apparatus for making sheet metal container bodies such as are used for holding paint, white lead and other heavy products and has particular reference to mecha'nism for shaping the body wall to produce beaded, necked-in, and the like sections in the body while at the same time avoiding the setting up of uneven stresses in the body wall during the shaping operation. This is a division of my U. S. application Serial Number 676,749, filed June 20, 1933, (Patent No. 2,056,192 granted October 6, 1936), on Art of making container bodies.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a mechanism for shaping preformed 1l tubular container bodies wherein the shaping is done in a simple and effective manner as by a combination beading, rolling and spinning action on the body wall without distortion or uncontrolled bending of the body material. 'I'his control during bending or beading is particularly desirable in the manufacture of larger sizes of containers which are necessarily of relatively heavy gauge metal but the instant invention is also of benet in the manufacture of containers of other sizes and of metal of lother gauges.

Another object is the provision of such a mechanism for container bodies in which the container body side walls is progressively beaded and rolled to produce the desired section iny which only a 0 small area of the material at a given time is undergoing a change in shape.

The invention also provides for flanging both ends of the tubular body in the same mechanism -.that produces the shaping operations, thus simplifying this part of the body manufacture.

The ymechanism herein disclosed as a form found preferable up to the present time is believed to be novel in utilizing a new kind of beading operation on the body walls of tubular bodies by progressively and laterally engaging the. wall sections and moving along the body thereby introducing a spinning action in addition to beading.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

. discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

tainer body prior to being subjected to further shaping operations by mechanism embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a` perspective view of the container Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tubular conbody `after shaping and also showing the ends of the body flanged;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of bod hanging and shaping elements of a mechanism embodying the instant invention, the view showing the elements in position at the completion of the flanging operation and at an intermediate step of the body shaping operation; and

Fig'. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the shaping elements in the nal shaping position.

As a preferred embodiment of the invention the drawing illustrates a mechanism which is adapted to flange the ends of preformed tubu- -lar container bodies a (Fig. 1) and to shape the side walls of the bodies so that each body includes an elongated inwardly pressed bead b (Fig. 2).

'These bodies may be of single body length in which the bead may be formed in any desirable part of the body depending'upon the use to be made of the bead or they maybe of double body length having the bead so positioned that it will be incorporated entirely in one of the bodies or so that there will be a part in each of them after the original double body is cut in two in a subsequent operation. This latter form of body obtained from the double body length is well adapted to the manufacture of paint pails,`lead kegs, and the like where it is desirable to have the upper end of the body reduced in diameter or necked-in, the bead forming this necked-in part of the body. l

'I'he m anism for shaping or perhaps more accuratel reshaping the container bodies of one type comprises in vpart a pair of flanging and beading heads I2 (Figs. 3 and 4) on which a body a is placed. These heads are of identical construction' and are inserted into the open ends of the body. Each head I2 is carried uponor may be a part of a horizontal shaft I3 which is suitably ymounted for rotation on its own axis and also for longitudinal movement. It is the longitudinal movement of the heads that effect their insertion into the ends of the body.

Each head I2 is formed with a fianging ridge I 4 in which an annular groove I5 is disposed. The heads I2 in coming into the body a move into the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 and in reaching this position the two outer edges of the body are caused to pass into the anging grooves I5 andare deflected outwardly as they follow the wallsbf the grooves. Flanges c (see also Fig. 2)r arethus formed at each end of the tubular body.

Each head I2 is reduced in diameter at its inner end and is formed with a stem I1. A backingup ring I6 is slidably mounted upon each stem II and is held on the stem by a clamping nut Il which is threaded onto the end oi' the stem.

`Springs 22 are interposed between each head I2 and its backing-up ring i3 and these normally hold the latter against itsnut I9. Each ring Il is prevented from rotating on its stem I1 by a feather 23 which, however, allows for longitudinal sliding movement. a

'I'he inner corner of each backing-up ring I3 is cut away and is formed with a concave annular grooved surface 26. The two concave surfaces 26 of the adjacent rings when the heads I2 are inserted in the body, toether provide a semi-circular groove which is used in the next or beading operation now to be described.

The beading is eiected by two beadingl rollers 3| which are pinned to the inner ends of a pair of axially aligned shafts 32. 'I'hese shafts are parallel to the shafts I3 of the iianging and beading heads and are suitably mounted so that they may be simultaneously moved inwardly toward the shafts I3 while still maintaining parallelism. For the first step in the beading operation the ends of the two shafts 32 aredisposed in close proximity, their rollers 3| then being close together but not touching, as shown in Fig. 3.

Each roller 3I is formed with a rounded ridge or projection 33 and these cooperate, when the rollers are in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, to present a semi-circular peripheral ridge corresponding in contour to the semi-circular groove of the two cooperating rings I8.

To eiect the beading operation the shaft 32 are moved inwardly as a unit toward the shafts I3 and the roundedprojections 33 of the beading rollers press against and reshape the tubular body a. It will be understood that the body is rapidly turning with the rotating heads I2 and the rollers 3| are correspondingly rotated. The material of the body which is engaged by the rollers is thus gradually and progressively forced inwardly against lthe concave walls 26 of the backing-up rings I8. An annular bead d is thus formed in the body wall, Fig. 3 illustrating the completion of .this part of the beading operation.

The bead d is used as a starting shape in the forming of the desired elongated bead portion of the container` body. As a further step this bead is widened by a continuation of the rolling action plus a separation of the beading rollers 3| as their shafts 32 are drawn apart along their aligned axes. The rotating shafts 32 at such time are still maintained in parallelism with and at the Same distance from the rotating head shafts I3.

During this separation of the shafts and the beading rollers the projecting ridges 33 of the rollers, pressing through the conned wall of the tubular body a., force apart the backing-up rings I 8 moving them outwardly on their stems I'I against the action of the springs 22. 'I'hese movelments widen the narrow bead d into the elongated bead b (as shown in Figs. 2 and 4).

The body a. during this beading action is conined between the flanging projections I4 of the heads I2 and the material of the Wall is gradually pressed inwardly in a combined beading and spinning action which is much easier on the body, avoiding anysudden orintense strainswhichwould necessarily be present in straight die action. In the case of a double length body, it is this beaded section b which provides the necked-in parts of the container whenthe body is subsequently cut in two.

'Ihe beading roller shafts 32 are now moved back and away from the body on the ilanging and beading heads I2 and the latter are then withdrawn from the body. In this withdrawing action the springs 22 pressing their associated backingup rings I8 against thewalls of the bead b assist in knocking oil'or disengaging the beaded body from the beadingheads.

It should be understood that a single beading roller could also be made ii' desired to produce the elongated beaded section b, such a roller having a shaped contour adapted to form the starting bead d and upon movement of the roller longitudinally of the body to expand or shape the bead d into the elongated bead b.

Although the drawing illustrates a mechanism adapted to form an inwardly disposed bead in the container body by reducing the diameter of the latter it should be understood that an external or outwardly disposed bead provided by expanding the boly diameter can also be made by transposing the beading elements so that backing-up elements I8 will be on the outside of the body and the beading rollers 3| will be disposed inside the heads I2.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacricing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for making necked-in container bodies which comprises, the combination of a pair of rotatable beading heads for supporting a tubular body, beading rollers for forming a grooved bead in said body while it being rotated by said heads, and means for moving said rollers rst into the body wall at its center and thence away from each other and, while in operation endwise4 and parallel to the axis of rotation to widen said grooved bead and form a necked-in section in the middle of said tubular body.

2. An apparatus for making beaded container bodies which comprises, the combination of rotatable beading heads adapted for cooperative longitudinal and opposite movement into the open ends of a tubular body for supporting the same in beading position, a pair of cooperating beading rollers for forming a grooved bead in said body while it is being rotated by said heads, and means for moving said rollers first as a unit into the body wall at right angles to its axis of rotation and thence away from each other with an endwise movement parallel to the said axis of rotation to widen said grooved bead and form a beaded section for said tubular body.

3. An apparatus for making container bodies which comprises, the combination of rotatable beading heads adapted for longitudinal movement into the open ends of a tubular body for supporting the body in beading position, a pair of cooperating beading rollers for forming a grooved bead in said body while it is being rotated by said heads, backing-up means carried by said heads for backing-up the inside wall of said body during the beading operation, and means for moving said rollers rst as a unit into the body wall of said tubular body and shaping it against said backing-up means to form a simple bead and thence outwardly with an endwise movement parallel to the axis of rotation to widen 5. An apparatus for making container bodies said simple bead into an elongated bead, ysaid backing-up means being movable relativeto said heads and separating and moving with` said beading rollers to effect a continued backing-up of said body wall during its reshaping to form a section for said tubular body.

4. An apparatus for making necked-in container bodies which comprises, the combination of rotatable beading heads for supporting a tubular body in beading position, a pair of cooperating beading rollers for forming a grooved bead in said body while it is being rotated by said heads, and backing-up .rings carried inside of said heads and having longitudinal movement therewith for backing-up the inside vwall of said body during the beading operation, said beading rollers moving rst as a unit into the body wall of said tubular body and shaping it against said backing-up means and means for moving said rollers oppositely with an endwise movement parallel to the axis of-rotation 'to widen said grooved bead, said backing-up rings being movable longitudinally of said heads and backing-up said body wall during the separation of said beading rollers to form a necked-in section for said tubular body.

which comprises, the combination of a rotatable beading head for supporting a tubular body, op-

positely movable beading rollers for forming a grooved bead in said body while it is being rotated by said heads, and backing-up means movable on said head, and means for moving s aid roller rst into engagement with the body'wall and thence endwise and parallel to its axis of rotation to widen said grooved bead and form a shaped section for said tubular body, and means for flanging the ends of said body.

6. An apparatus for making necked-in container bodies having in combination rotatable and oppositely movable heads for entering and supporting a cylindrical sheet metal body, backing-up rings mounted to slide in said heads, springs for pressing said rings inwardly and oppositely, and beading rollers movable inwardly vagainst said body and vmovable oppositely and JOHN M. HOTHERSALL. 

